


Kittens Make Everything Better

by Rowan_of_Transylvania



Category: The Lord of the Rings (Movies), The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-18
Packaged: 2017-12-05 16:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/725250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rowan_of_Transylvania/pseuds/Rowan_of_Transylvania
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pippin gets lonely at home all day when Merry's out working. Merry's solution? A kitten. Unfortunately, Pippin doesn't like kittens, or does he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kittens Make Everything Better

**Author's Note:**

> For an anonymous prompt on [Tumblr](http://www.whenrowanwrites.tumblr.com).  
> Betaed by the lovely Algie.

Merry noticed it long before Pippin said anything. Actually, he probably noticed it before Pippin noticed it. That was just how they were, knowing each other better than they knew themselves, and it had only gotten worse with the War of the Ring and everything they’d gone through together. So it came as no real surprise to Merry when Pippin turned to him and said, “You spend too much time working.”

 

“Pip–” Merry began, but was cut off.

 

“I know you can’t work less; I know the Shire needs you,” Pippin said, “I just get lonely sitting here by myself all day.” More quietly he added, “Useless.”

 

Merry winced. No matter how many years passed he would never forgive himself for the day he let Pippin go out on wolf patrol without him, only for his husband to return on a stretcher, bloodsoaked, his leg ripped to shreds and broken from his attempts to escape.

 

“You’re not useless, Pip. You’re a hero. The entire Shire owes you their lives, not to mention a good portion of the Men of the world.”

 

That brought a smile out of Pippin. “Aye, what would those kings do without us?”

 

“And wizards,” Merry added, “Don’t forget the wizards.”

 

“Oh yes, and the Ents. Not that we’re counting or anything.”

 

Merry grinned, glad to have his happy, joking husband back. The war hadn’t changed them as much as it had Frodo and Sam, but with the now constant threat of wolves and human raiders who thought Gondor and King Elessar too far away to uphold his laws of protection, Merry and Pippin found themselves becoming serious. They were the only two who could organize the Shire into protecting themselves, Frodo having left and Sam with his family to care for. They didn’t begrudge their fellow hobbits their innocence, but being the only full-time protectors of the Shire had sapped Merry and Pippin of some of their carefree cheer.

 

* * *

 

The issue of Pippin’s loneliness was not brought up for several days after that. In fact, it quite seemed like both had completely forgotten about it. That is, it seemed forgotten until Merry came back from a quick morning visit to Holgrim Bolger with an unexpected tag-along.

 

“Merry? Merry, what is that doing in here?” Merry hadn’t heard Pippin quite this scared since they first met Treebeard.

 

“It’s a kitten!”

 

“So?!”

 

“You said you were lonely, so I got you some company. Farmer Bolger says his barn doesn’t have enough mice to feed the whole litter anyway. Her name is Honeysuckle.”

 

“Merry, you’re not going to leave me alone with this thing are you?”

 

“It’s better than being alone by yourself, isn’t it?” Merry called as he left the house once more.

 

* * *

 

Merry came back late that night, ready to crawl into their warm bed and bury his cold nose in his sleeping husband’s soft hair. He slipped out of his clothes and into his nightshirt. Lifting the covers he slid into bed and reached out to pull Pippin close, but– “Pip?”

 

“Hmm?” came the sleepy reply.

 

“The cat’s in our bed.”

 

“She got lonely,” was all Pippin said before he lifted a hand to stroke the kitten and allowed her to burrow into his chest.

 

Merry sighed. Come morning he’d make Pippin pay up on their age-old bet that Pippin _would_ like cats if he’d just spend time with one, but right now he just wanted to be in the damn creature’s place.


End file.
